Foreign Minister Wang Talks With Foreign Minister Blinken, China And US Urge De-escalation And Calm In Ukraine

US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

JAKARTA - China has told the United States it wants to see all parties involved in Ukraine remain calm, avoiding escalating tensions while the United States emphasizes de-escalation and warns of the security and economic risks of Russian aggression.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Ukraine by telephone on Wednesday evening.

"We ask all parties to remain calm and refrain from doing things that trigger tension and escalate the crisis", Foreign Minister Wang told Foreign Minister Blinken, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, citing Reuters on January 27.

Russia, which has been building up its forces on Ukraine's borders for months, is demanding that NATO withdraw troops and weapons from eastern Europe, as well as barring Ukraine, a splinter from the Soviet Union, from joining the alliance.

The United States and NATO allies reject the position but say they are ready to discuss other topics, such as arms control and confidence-building measures.

"Secretary Blinken said de-escalation and diplomacy are the responsible way forward", said Secretary Blinken's statement to Minister Wang issued by the US State Department.

The global security and economic risks posed by further Russian aggression against Ukraine emerged in the talks, the department continued.

Minister Wang, apparently referring to Russia's objections to NATO expansion in eastern Europe, told Minister Blinken that the security of one country cannot sacrifice the security of another and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs, his ministry said.

The United States has warned Russia not to invade Ukraine, urging the two countries to return to a series of pacts known as Minsk I and Minsk II respectively signed in 2014 and 2015, to end a Russian-speaking separatist war in eastern Ukraine.

However, a series of military and political measures laid down by the Minsk II treaty subsequently remained unimplemented, with Russia's insistence that it was not a party to the conflict and therefore not bound by its terms as a major hindrance.

"To resolve the Ukraine issue, we still need to return to the new Minsk Agreement, the starting point", Wang said.

"The new Minsk agreement, which has been approved by the Security Council, is a fundamental political document that is recognized by all parties and must be implemented effectively. As long as efforts are made in line with the direction and spirit of the agreement, China will support them", he said.